Tuesday, April 30
18
Platemaking Negligence 2: From Bad to Worse
This study is a follow up to last year’s look into how common platemaking errors can affect print
behavior and plate wear, and if today’s technologies (flat top dot plates and surface screening)
fare any better than good ‘ole normal digital plates. Building off of the previous results, plates
with purposefully neglected processing steps will be printed on a wide web press, then put to
even more rigorous, controlled wear testing on a print simulation machine, followed by another
round on press to evaluate any changes to print characteristics. The key this year will be allowing
the plates to wear for much longer than the last test, better simulating environments where
durability is concerned. Attendees will leave better prepared to address their own platemaking
concerns, and more confident in their decision making process when considering an investment
into these new plate technologies.
PJ Fronczkiewicz, Flint Group Flexographic Products
10:30am - 12:30pm Workflow Automation...Right Here, Right Now!
Many companies use workflow automation solutions, but are they really using them to their full
potential? Often large investments are made in powerful automation tools, but frequently only a
fraction of the system’s functionality is utilized. Whether you are just using basic graphic editors
or have invested in a full automation solution, this session will help you get more out of your
investment. Speakers will discuss basic scripting techniques, maximizing existing workflow systems,
and new solutions that continue to increase efficiency and throughput.
Session Chairs: Randy Butler, MacDermid Printing Solutions and Rory Marsoun, Esko
Improving Efficiency in Prepress Through Scripting
What if you could automate many of the prepress tasks performed everyday in Illustrator and
Photoshop? Using the Action tools in Illustrator and Photoshop and custom scripting, many of
these repetitive tasks can be completed faster and more efficiently. While it is possible to write
scripts specific to your needs in prepress, there are already many scripts available online. This
presentation will look at a selected collection of scripts available now that can help streamline
many processes. It will also cover how to implement these scripts into Illustrator and Photoshop
and how to use them on a regular basis. Users will also learn the basics of how scripts and
Actions are written and how they can learn to write their own custom scripts.
Alix Guyot, Anderson & Vreeland, Inc.
Workflow Automation – YOUR Way
True prepress workflow automation has been around since early 2003, allowing commercial and
digital printers to achieve efficiency, reduce mistakes and enter markets that would otherwise
not be profitable. Those same benefits are available right now in flexo production, and when
implemented with an intelligent approach, it offers you the flexibility you need so that YOU can
customize YOUR automated operations to meet YOUR unique needs. In other words, workflow
automation can streamline the routine, error-prone operations leaving operators to concentrate
on truly value-added tasks, and turn your prepress department into a 24/7 operation without
added headcount. Through real sample rules and case studies, you’ll discover how workflow
automation that YOU control is not just about hot folders, smart hot folders, or linking events
together to achieve a basic task. Instead, true workflow automation systems are intelligent, able
to monitor themselves and other systems, and automate tasks without operator action. It allows
the MIS, workflow solution, press and finishing equipment to seamlessly talk to each other
from start to finish, delivering significant cost savings and the real-time information you need to
elevate client communication to the next level.
Michael Bialko, Eastman Kodak Company